Elevator brakes must, in the case of emergency, respond rapidly and stop the elevator car and the counterweight without delay. Known elevator brakes comprise at least one spring or brake spring generating a braking force, wherein an electromagnetic device with at least one electromagnetic coil operates against the spring force and in that case holds the brake, inter alia, in a starting position. When the voltage to the coil is switched off, the magnetic field of the coil collapses and a brake unit or a movable part of the elevator brake presses, by virtue of the spring force of the at least one brake spring, against, for example, a brake disc, an elevator rail, etc. The brake unit is in that case accelerated under the action of the spring force of the brake spring and presses against the brake disc, the elevator rail, etc., to achieve a braking action. The brake unit usually presses from one side and a further brake unit from the opposite side against the brake disc, as is known from, for example, WO 97/42118.
In an emergency situation, i.e., for example, in the case of loss of the current or voltage supply of an elevator installation, the elevator brake is triggered and thus the elevator car stopped. However, in certain situations it can happen that the elevator brake brakes too strongly and thus too abruptly. This can be case, inter alia, if the elevator car travels upwardly fully loaded or travels downwardly empty or only with a small load.